Helpless
by SerenePhenix
Summary: Part of the Recollection Series. Do not read before the other OS. Losing a friendship is one of the most terrible things and hopefully there will be someone special to pick the pieces back together... Image by GraphiteDoll on DA.


Sophie steered the car into an empty place on the parking lot and swiftly turned off the engine. For a moment she waited, staring ahead at the brick building closed off behind a silvery and intricate gate.

Her breath condensated inside the car. It wasn't that much of a surprise, seeing with whom she was travelling.

Turning around and leaning an arm over the back rest of her seat she looked at the person sitting next to her in the passenger's seat. Her green eyes shone bright with worry and bottled up emotions.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course."

"He might not recognize you."

"I know that."

For a split second the woman with graying hair seemed hesitant before adding: "He might not see you."

That thought pained both of them in so many different ways, it would be impossible to name all of them. As he did not answer she retreated back into her seat dejectedly. To her surprise a cold hand reached for her warm one and she looked up again to see Jack smiling back at her like Jamie used to when they still were children and older boys picked on her.

It was a look of protectiveness and adoration. One she missed dearly and one she did not expect to come from an immortal spirit who in comparison to her had been left untouched by time for the last fifty years and all the other centuries before that.

"You remember what we discussed?"

He threw her a look that clearly said "Are you kidding me?", making her crack a smile despite the situation. He too smiled happy to have lightened her somber mood the tiniest bit.

"Yeah, I remember.", he replied lazily, letting one hand glide over the wood of his staff they had to fit into the car at an odd angle, "No getting in and no frost stunts."

Sophie nodded and stepped out of her old grass-green car together with Jack Frost who tugged at his staff a few seconds, fuming silently as it took longer than expected to wrestle it free. Sophie watched quietly, amused by his antics.

"I've been curious.", she said casually, pushing down on the button that closed the doors, "Why did you agree to drive with me anyway?"

Jack stared, thinking before slamming the door shut and replying nonchalantly: "I wanted to know what it was like, since Andrew wouldn't shut up about how great it was to drive a car – after he got his license, you know." He huffed going through his snow white hair with his free hand. Sophie noted that the spirit looked a bit more disheveled than usually after their ride.

"But no way I get into one of these "match-boxes" again. I'll ride on wind, thank you very much."

The childish pout on his face made Sophie laugh louder and harder than she had in quite some time.

* * *

Jack twirled his staff impatiently; a habit Tooth reprimanded him for nearly every day now. Usually that would not stop him from doing it but since it was Tooth he had made an effort in stopping it - at least when she was around. Well, how goes the saying: What the eye does not see, the heartdoes not grieve over.

But right at this moment Jack knew he would not be able to stop even if Tooth was there to tell him to. His stomach felt like it wanted to curl up his throat from all the anxiety that assaulted him. All he had wanted to do a week ago was to visit both Sophie and Jamie like he used to when his duties as a Guardian hadn't cut in so much. He never would have guessed it would come down to this when he found Sophie all alone re-reading a brochure.

The garden was wide with trees surrounding the center void of any foliage, trees and bushes. The trees looked innocent and even beautiful but it did not change that fact that their actual purpose was to act as an unscalable fence. No way to get in and no way to get. The wire a few feet behind the thick trunks made sure of that.

Jack startled as a small snowflake drifted in front of his eyes and then another and another. Quickly he had his shepherd crook in a vice grip, eyes shut tightly in concentration as he clamped down on his powers. He breathed in and out, just like Bunnymund had taught him.

If he let go and made it snow too much now then their whole plan might get jeopardized and Jamie would be out of reach for him for another few weeks. Sophie's voice rang in his head reminding him of just why he couldn't make it snow, why he couldn't just get into his friend's room or the complex in general.

The people inside might react spooked to a sudden change in their environment. Jamie might be allowed to go outside for fear of falling ill in his condition, or rather more ill than he already was.

Jack let out a quick whistle, sounding like a boiling tea-cattle and wiped at his damp forehead. It surprised and terrified him how strong he had grown in his comparatively short time as a Guardian. The more children believed in him, the stronger his powers got.

He remembered how before he became a Guardian how before Pitch Black, the Nightmare King broke his staff he had had no problems with stopping temporarily what he was supposed to do – bringing cold air, snow and frost – but it had become difficult after the first few months to even stop the slightest snowfall just like now.

The fear of losing control over his powers was always present but Jack was just glad that his friends were now there to help and stop him if he couldn't do it by himself.

Jack was abruptly yanked out of his musings as he saw two people make their way to a small wooden bench next to the little pond he was currently hovering above.

One was Sophie sporting the vivid magenta red coat she had come with. Despite the years Jack would always be able to tell it was her, with long unruly blond hair and eyes that radiated hope. No wonder that still as an adult; Sophie loved Bunnymund more than any of the other Guardians. He had always found it amusing that they both shared this similarity only that now things were different for him. Bunny and he had long ago come to the point where they considered each other brothers, mentor and student, annoying brat and favorite victim to pranks. A connection not even North, who was once the student to one of the world's greatest wizard could understand. Jack felt a bit proud about it though there was no reason to it.

Jack shook his head in dismay. What was going on? He never was this absentminded and scatter-brained. Maybe Tooth really was rubbing off on him too much like North had once jokingly said, patting him on his shoulders so violently that Jack nearly spit out the cookie he had been eating.

Breathing in and out again, he concentrated at the here and now and nearly choked when his eyes fell on his first believer. He had said he would recognize Sophie anytime. Now, as he saw the figure in the woolen cloak sit down on the bench, hair nearly devoid of any of its original brown color, he was not sure he could say the same thing of Jamie.

Sophie sat beside her brother holding his hand and conversing in a light but forced tone of voice. Jack landed on his feet softly but to him it felt like he had been dropped suddenly by the wind. When Sophie had told him that her brother was ill, he had thought she had exaggerated a bit for Sophie tended to go overboard with her descriptions and suddenly he wished it had just been an exaggeration.

Jamie looked frail and s though he had had been under a lot of pressure. His face was way slimmer than Jack remembered it, not skinny but it was clear he really had lost a few pounds. His hair was now pretty much gray, although Jack didn't know if it was a family thing with the Bennets. Jamie's dad also had had grey when he had been in his fifties and Sophie also was beginning to lose her yellow color. But the lack of color seemed to give Jamie a more ashen complexion.

What was the worst though, was that distinct feeling Jack had in the pit of his stomach that something was amiss.

He stood wide-eyed and only returned to them once he saw Sophie giving him the sign to come near. He approached his legs hardly working together with his brain but he managed to make it towards them without stumbling. He tried to adjust his grip on his staff several times, his fingers unable to find a comfortable position.

Jamie looked at him expectantly like a kid and smiled amicably. He was waiting for something but Jack was so nervous at the moment he did not really trust his voice to work properly.

Jamie blinked once, leaning back in on the bench but his eyes never left Jack's. Jack had to stop himself from bouncing up and down as he threw a hopeful look towards Sophie, who tried to smile encouragingly, but failed ending up grimacing more than anything. The winter spirit understood her and so did not take the pained expression as an offense. He even admired Sophie for going through this with so much calm.

He turned back towards the man nearing his sixties, gulping down the lump in his throat: "H-hi, Jamie."

Jamie nodded vigorously, stretching out a hand towards Jack's and taking it into his: "It's good to see you too."

Jack felt a thousand emotions at the same time, the most prominent relief and untamable happiness. So maybe their plan was working and he really could help Jamie. He opened his mouth in a big smile showing shiny white teeth and wanted to say something to Sophie when the next sentence from Jamie brought everything crushing down:

"So, Andrew, how are you doing?"

He stood, frozen and could feel his heart shattering into tiny little shards that seemed to inflict physical pain upon him, tearing at his insides. The look Sophie threw his way must have looked at least as heartbroken as his own. Jamie still believed with all of his heart, could still see him, hear him, feel him, and tell that he was there but he simply did not recognize him. And for a moment Jack caught himself thinking for the first time that maybe he would have preferred Jamie not to believe rather than forget.

Oblivious to the turmoil his simple question had caused, Jamie waited still holding Jack's hand patiently. It took some time but Jack figured that he should just go and answer the question. Trying to make Jamie understand he was not his nephew would not help any. Sophie just nodded before looking away, blinking away tears. Jack regretted ever asking that favor after seeing what toll it was on her to see her older brother only a few months after his illness had suddenly and violently come up.

She also was still trying to deal with the situation. His request had been selfish.

"I'.. I'm doing good, thanks.", he mumbled studying his feet, unable to look into eyes that were not seeing Jack but a twenty-three years old russet college student.

Jamie sighed contently and took his other hand to pat Jack's.

"That's good. And how is your girlfriend…. Amy wasn't it, doing? Does she like her new job?"

The sting in his heart hurt so much Jack wasn't sure he wouldn't just keel over and die from it. Helplessly he searched for Sophie's green eyes that just indicated him to go with it. She was way too distracted to really be of any help to him.

Jack knelt down; so that he was eye-to-eye with his best friend and also took Jamie's other hand, running a thumb absentmindedly over it. He didn't know how Andrew's wife was faring but if he couldn't really talk about Andrew and his life his own would have to be enough for the moment.

He looked up, determined to look into the brown eyes of the boy who had been the first to see him even if he did take him for someone else.

"Tooth's fine. You know how much she likes what she does. Still gets excited whenever there is a new child to believe in her or when the kids take good care of their teeth and… What?"

The indignant question was not directed towards jamie but Sophie who was goggling him like he had sprouted two heads. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish's but it looked like she was just unable to make her mouth form some coherent words. Jack might have laughed, if his heart wasn't shattering to a million pieces.

He simply lifted one corner of his mouth and gave her that look that just confirmed what he just said. That finally helped the woman pick up her jaw from the floor.

"That's good, that's good.", Jamie replied suddenly looking somewhat absent and distracted.

Jack grew nervous at his sudden change in behavior and the fact that Jamie's hand was now painfully gripping at his own wasn't any more reassuring. He tried to gently pry them away but he did not need to because all of a sudden Jamie leapt to his feet pushing against Jack with all his might and sending the teen tumbling backwards, the staff sliding off towards the center of the now frozen pond.

When his world wasn't spinning anymore and he had regained his bearings he could see Sophie holding Jamie in a bone crushing grip from behind, the man struggling and yelling at her to let him go. Jack was too shocked for words, his throat feeling dry. This was not Jamie he was seeing and it terrified him so much that he effectively shook.

From the quarrel he distantly registered Sophie's desperate and pleading voice: "You promised, remember? So go! Now!"

The last word was drowned by a furious yell from Jamie, saying that she let him go.

Jack scrambled to his feet, stumbling a few times before reaching his staff. He was about to take off when he threw a glance at Sophie and her fighting brother and he was overcome with the desire to turn back and help her. It was the wind itself that made the decision for him, whisking him off the ground as people clad in white and mint green cloths rushed towards Jack's first best friends.

* * *

It was dark when the Tooth Fairy came rushing through the opening in the ceiling of North's domain, agitated, tired and worried. Knowing where she was expected she rushed off towards a corridor to her right and turned left coming face to face with three other very worried and restless Guardians. Baby Tooth was besides her chirping quickly and unhappily.

"What happened?", she asked turning towards North who was pacing back and forth, hand running through his long silvery beard.

The Russian met her gaze with blue troubled eyes. He shook his head sadly gaze wandering over Bunny and Sandy as though he needed their assistance.

"We do not know.", he finally said not stopping in his motion. "He was gone for a few days, said he wanted to see goo' ol' Jamie. Next thing we know, he isz at ze South Pole causing huge blizzard."

He flailed with both his arms for emphasis nearly knocking his hands both into Baby Tooth and Bunnymund's face.

"Sandy found 'im there passed out… He refuses to talk to us.", the gift bringer concluded sadly.

"He won't even talk ta' me, mate.", Bunnymund said dejectedly, ears flattened lacking his usual rough demeanor. Tooth looked towards Sandy who usually had this little knowing smile whenever the Easter Bunny talked this way about their youngest member but the lack of it just made the seriousness of the whole situation all the more evident.

She righted herself, wringing her hands shortly.

"I'll go in. You better go and rest. You look terrible."

They all gave her a grateful smile and excused themselves towards the round room where they always spent their time whenever they got together at the North Pole. Baby Tooth followed them, well aware that it was probably best to leave her "Mother" and Jack alone.

Carefully Tooth approached the pale blue door, knocking on it once before entering. Jack's room was looking as ever with the white and silvery walls and a minimum of furniture in the same color as the door.

Jack lay curled up on the midnight blue covers of his bed, back facing her while his front was turned towards the huge spotless window through which he came and went as he pleased. She instantly knew he was not sleeping by the way his chest rose and fell, the intakes of air far too big for him to be resting.

Quietly she closed the door behind her and fluttered over to the bed before lying next to him and taking him in an embrace; one arm over his shoulder the other cushioning his head so she could stroke his hair.

That always helped to calm him, she knew. They just lay there in silence even though it was a bit hard for someone as energetic as her to stay this calm. After an unknown amount of time, it could have been minutes or hours, she felt Jack turn around in her arms, so that he was facing her now.

Tooth had to admit that he did in fact look like someone who had just caused one of the worst blizzards in history, with his heavy lidded eyes and the way he seemed to drag his limbs.

He draped his arms around her pulling her close and nuzzling his face into the crook of her feathery neck. The slight chill coming from his body did not bother her anymore; it felt natural to her by now and yet was alien every time again.

Although she was tempted to Tooth did not ask him what had happened. She knew that pushing Jack did not help him open up. He always was ready to do it on his own; he just needed his time to find the right words. So she just resumed stroking the white locks feeling his breath disturb her sensitive feathers.

When he finally spoke, she nearly didn't catch it because it was so muffled.

"I went to see Jamie.", he said simply, sounding tired beyond his young looking appearance.

Tooth did not miss a beat in her stroking and just nodded, knowing that Jack would feel it.

"Didn't he see you?", she asked as he made no more attempts at expressing himself. Jack just shook his head and tightened his grip on her like a desperate soul.

"He did see me but he did not recognize me."

Puzzled Tooth stopped what she had been doing and Jack promptly made a bit of space between them so she could see his face again. The sadness in those blue eyes was so raw that Tooth just wished she could take some of it away from him. She stroked his face and he leaned into the touch like a love-hungry puppy that had been neglected for too long.

It took a few minutes again before he seemingly had the strength to continue: "Jamie has something called Alzheimer."

Tooth looked at Jack shocked before frowning empathetically. She had knew of this ailment from the Teeth of children who had people in their family suffering from it but had never had to deal with it personally. It was a devious illness.

"I am so sorry sweettooth.", she whispered, giving him a kiss on his forehead.

He glanced at her a shimmer of hope in his blue eyes. Tooth knew what he was thinking about and she hated that she would have to be the one to crush his ray of hope.

"His teeth might bring him back his memories but it will be short lived. It won't be permanent."

As expected Jack's face fell and that exhaustion he had radiated before returned tenfold.

For some time again, nothing happened and Tooth was by now sure that her love had fallen asleep when a quiet murmur caught her attention.

"Please…stay."

Tooth just smiled and obliged, staying beside him through the night, holding him close in a warm embrace, chasing away what might have become fitful dreams.


End file.
